Understanding a Nightmare, becoming a Dream
by Blood Seraph
Summary: A Nightmare causes are favorite pinkhaired Kunoichi sleeping problems, so she takes a walk. She finds herself in a familiar place, with an old friend NaruSaku. Next chapter coming out in two weeks, Sorry! Actually, maybe sooner!
1. Understanding a Nightmare

**_Understanding a Nightmare_**

**_One-shot_**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, kuso _**

I shot straight up as I found myself sweating in my pajamas. Looking at the clock, I find that it's four A.M. in the morning.

"The same nightmare, again" I mutter under my breath

After Sasuke left, I had no dreams or nightmares. Then Naruto decided to leave and I felt lonely. Now Naruto's back and we're hanging out more, and then these nightmares started. The problem is that these nightmares always wake my up and then I can't get back to sleep. Not only that, but in each nightmare Naruto died, although the latest is by far the worst

(Start Dream)

It starts out with Naruto confronting Sasuke, and then I run in between them to try and stop them, But Sasuke doesn't stop and keeps going like I'm not even there. Just as Sasuke's blade is about to come upon me, Naruto gets in the way, shielding me from the flurry of strikes that are bomb barding his back, all the while trying to consol me by smiling

Bending down, he whispers in my ear "On the count of three, I'm going to kill Sasuke-teme…please forgive me?"

"One…two…THREE" Naruto yells the last part, before grabbing me and jumping away, but not before I hear

"Fuuten Resangan" and witness a clone shoving the almighty attack in the back Sasuke's head, completely ripping it off and shredding it

When we land about 10 meters away, he puts me down gently before collapsing in front of me; ready to die at a moments notice from the deep gashes in his back. Once again I start to cry and think to myself

'I'm so useless! Naruto's dieing and I can't do anything'

"Sakura-chan…" looking at him, I find his smiling face

"Don't cry, it doesn't look good on you"

His hand then found its way to my cheek, wiping away the tears and caressing my face at the same time

"At least I was able to keep one promise," he says from out of nowhere

"Huh?" I reply intelligently

"Do you want to know what that promise was?" he asks

"Yes" I manage to say while holding back tears that were threatening to fall

"That promise was to protect you and make you happy, and apparently that costs my life, but I don't mind, you're alive and that's what matters. The only thing that I regret was not being able to bring Sasuke-teme back to you; you do forgive me, right? Or do you hate me?" He asks

"I could never hate you, baka," I say, smiling through my tears

'He thinks I can hate him after all he has done for me?'

"Sakura-chan, can you lean down so I can tell you something?" he asks

As I lean down, he grabs neck and pulls forward, kissing my quickly and softly on the lips. Blushing was the after affect of this endeavor; I touch my lips, the tingling feeling still there from the kiss.

"I love you, Sakura," He whispers in my ear

"I love you too, Naruto," I say before sobbing uncontrollable, because as those words faded, he fell limp in my arms. I didn't even bother to fight my tears as sorrow, pain, regret, anger and heartache took over

(End Dream)

"Thank Kami it's just dream" I reassure myself

'What would I do if Naruto actually did die?' I ask myself

'I wonder, do I love Naruto, or is it just a dream? Probably the latter' I reason

"No" I say aloud "They say dreams are the key to the sub-conscious, to what you really desire; to what you really want. And to what you really fear" I say triumphantly

Then it struck me, the meaning of what I said

"Then does that mean I fear losing Naruto. But wait, I love Sasuke not Naruto, right?"

"AAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH, kuso!" I yell; thankfully mom didn't wake up

"I need some air"

Making my way to teams seven's training ground; I see the silhouette of a man standing on the middle log

"Who's there?" I question, pulling out a kunai

"Oh, Sakura-chan, how have you been?"

Sighing, I conceal the kunai back in its pouch. The man then appears right in front of me, causing me to stumble backwards over a rock. Just as I was about to hit the ground, he grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me into an embrace. Looking up, I see his face, a smile accompanying his face. He had untamed, sun-colored hair, a Konoha Headband, but that was mostly covered by his hair. He had cerulean-blue eyes that were soft but powerful at the same time, his face had matured over the two-and-a-half-years of training with Jiraiya-sama.

"Ya know, Sakura-chan, you're a klutz," he said softly, still smiling

Noticing the close proximity; I know there's a blush rising to my cheeks, and that I can't stop it

"Naruto-kun, can you let go now?" I ask, hoping he wouldn't her for I was enjoying the warmth

To my displeasure, he took a step back and looked at me with quizzical written all over his face

"Did you just call 'Naruto-kun'? That's a first" he said, smile spreading into a grin

'Oh no, I just called him Naruto-kun; what is WRONG with me' I yell at myself

Breaking away from me, I feel the warmth leave my body

Not wanting to jeopardize or friend ship, I walkover to the log he was on moments ago. Placing my back against the log, I slid down and hug my knees to my chest, hoping to replace the warmth lost from the contact.

Sitting down next to me, Naruto asks "Why are you up this early, Sakura-chan?"

Contemplating on rather or not to tell him the truth, I decide against it

"A nightmare"

"Who was in it?"

"Why would you want to know?" I ask, curiosity getting the better of me

"It was the first question in my head"

"Okay? Whatever. Lets see, Sasuke…" at his name I see Naruto flinch

"Me, of course…" he looked anxious, as if willing something to happen

"I couldn't see the last one, he was just a silhouette of shadows in my dream"

"Think you can tell me what happened?" Naruto asks, looking at the stars

"The silhouette saved me and in the processes killed Sasuke"

Naruto had a look of confusion written all over his face

"What?" I practically yell at him

"You said Sasuke and not Sasuke-kun"

'Kuso, I did it again, what is wrong with me tonight!"

"What are you doing out here, Naruto-kun" I reply, trying to change the subject

Giving me a puzzled glance, he replies "A nightmare"

"That's funny; what was yours about?" I ask

"I finally found Sasuke-teme, and tried to convince him to come back to Konoha, but he said that he will never come back; so I told him that if he didn't come back willfully, I would break his arms and legs. He said he would die before he was dragged to Konoha, so he charged at me, drawing his sword, and I returned the favor. That's when you jumped in the way, and Sasuke-teme didn't stop, so I did the only logical thing, I jumped in between you two so you would not get hurt. While Sasuke-teme was carving up my back, I summoned a clone and had him kill Sasuke-teme with a Fuuten Resangan, and grabbed you and jumped away as to not get caught in the explosion; then you started to cry because I was dieing from blood loss. Mustering the last of my energy, I tried to cheer up, which worked out fairly well, seeing as I got you to smile. Then I told you to lean down so I could tell you something, but instead I kissed you" At this he paused and closed his eyes, as if expecting a beating

"I won't hit you Naruto-kun" I sigh

"Ok, that's it, what have you done with Sakura-chan; the Sakura-chan I know would yell 'You pervert' and then hit me with all her might" he says, joking around

"Baka, it's just a dream"

Looking at me like I was someone else, he continues, "Then I whisper in your ear 'I love you, Sakura'; then the next part shocked me, you said 'I love you too, Naruto', which I know you would never say that" when he said this, it felt like something was squeezing my heart, and it hurt, like it was stabbed

Then something dawned on me, the nightmare he had was identical to the one I had

"Isn't a strange nightmare?" he asks

"Yeah" I mutter, too lost in my thoughts to string together a full sentence

"Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah?"

Hanging my head, so my face was out of sight, I ask "Do…do you still love me?"

When I didn't hear an answer, tears came to my eyes, I didn't why exactly, but I started to cry silently

'What did I expect, 'Of course I still love Sakura', ha, yeah right!' I thought to myself

Hiding my face as I did so, I stood up, and say "I understand"

I start to walk away, but before I got to far, I felt a pair of arms wrap around my torso; hot breath accompanied these arm as I felt the warm sensation come back from earlier, and I lavished in it, and it sent shivers down

"I never said no," he whispers in my ear, in a husky voice

Realizing he still didn't answer my question, I pull away and reply "But you never said yes, either"

Walking up to me, he puts his hand under my chin and forces me to look at him

"Did I hurt you?" he asks, voice and eyes portraying his massive worry

"No" I say abruptly

"Then why are you crying?"

"I was thinking about Sasuke" I say, not thinking before I spoke, which turned out to be a bad idea

When I said these words, his eyes reviled pain, but then, as fast as lightning, they turned cold and heartless

"I see" the venom evident in his voice

Then I realized what I did, I crushed his heart for the last time, and I don't think it's ever going to be the same.

He had never looked at me with no emotion, his eyes were the one doorway to his actual emotions, no matter how hard he tried, his eyes told everyone what he was feeling; now all they were holding was, nothing, something thought impossible by all who knew him. That's not the reason for his heart not being able to heal though, the reason was that he was behaving like this in front of her, the one he _used_ to love.

Turning around, he starts to walk away

Doing the first thing that came to mind

I yell

"WAIT, NARUTO-KUN, STOP!"

He halts, but does not turn around, asking "What is it, Haruno?"

He hurt to hear him talk so coldly to me

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it" I chock out, holding back the tears threatening to spill

"Oh, but you did" he spits out

When I hear the tone of his voice, me courage crumbles, and I break down, and fall to my knees, sobbing

"Damn it, Naruto-kun, I don't love Sasuke, in fact, I hate Sasuke. I hate him for what he did to you" I yell through my tears

There was a silence, which meant he wanted me to keep going

My head drops as my gaze falls to the ground

"When…when Kakashi brought you back to the village… the hole in your chest, the one that destroyed your right lung, Sasuke did that, right?" I ask

"Correct" he says as he turn around

"Naruto-kun…" I start

Gathering up my courage, I jump into his form, wrapping my arms around his torso, and look up to find a shocked Naruto-kun

Shoving my head back into his warm chest, I finish in a whisper "I love you" holding him closer

Getting over his shock, he places a hand on my lower back, moving it in a circular motion, trying to calm me down. While the other hand found its way through my hair, running through it in a soothing manor

"I love you too, Sakura-chan" he whispers

"Just Sakura, please?"

"Only if I'm just Naruto"

"Okay, Naruto" I say in a flirtatious tone

"Flirting are we, Sakura?" he says in that husky tone

I fell asleep in his arms, and he brought me to his apartment. He put me into his bed, and crawled in besides me, pulling the covers over us. That night was the best sleep I've had in weeks, because instead of having a nightmare I had a dream; a dream of a future with Naruto

_**Review, flame and whatnot**_

_**I think I might turn this into a chapter fic**_

_**I have an apocalypse to plan, so see ya**_

_**I live in the dark**_

_**All who cross my path shall die**_

_**I'm the end of life**_

_**A little Haiku I just thought up**_

_**Hope you like**_

_**You better :(**_


	2. Becoming Reality

_**Understanding a Nightmare, becoming a Dream**_

**_Oh, my, GOD! It's been forever since I've updated this story, and this chapters extremly short, but then again, it's an update, right? That's good? Right? Right? Well, enough delays! _**

_**Chapter Two…**_

I jerked awake as I felt a breath of cold wash over me. Shaking my head to orient myself, I realize that I'm not in my own bed, but that I was in Naruto's…

_I remember now, we confessed to each other, and he took me to his apartment… _I think to myself, a warm smiling finding its way to my face. That's when the smell of food reached my nostrils, and I gasp in surprise, _Naruto cooks!?_

Standing up on still wobble legs, I walk into the kitchen to see Naruto flipping some pancakes, some bacon already on the table, and eggs in another pan. _Wow…_

"I can't believe you cook!" I say excitedly as he turns to look at me, a smile reaching his face as he realized it was me.

"Yeah, during the training trip with Ero-Sennin (_Perverted Hermit_), he forced me to cook, so I had to learn how…" He trails off with a sheepish smile, and a slight blush.

Giggling, I walk up to him and give him a kiss on the nose before taking a seat at the table, which I saw could hold four easily. A minute later, he piles two pancakes on my plate, as well as some eggs, and handing me the bacon plate, giving me first pick. As we both eat our breakfast, I couldn't help but compliment Naruto's ability to cook.

"This has to be one of the best pancakes I've ever tasted, how'd you get so good? It couldn't be just because you were forced to!" I say as I finish both pancakes in record time for me as he gives me another helping as I plop some eggs into my mouth.

"Actually, along the way we saved a cooks caravan, and he taught me a thing or two, and gave me a cook book, so that was a major help," Naruto explains as he swallows some bacon before speaking.

"So, what do you know how to make?" I ask out of curiosity, already loving the little bit of spice he added to the eggs.

"Ano, let me think…" He trails off, before he started listing things, "Cherries Jubilee, French Toast, although it isn't really French, well, a lot of stuff, actually…"

I couldn't help but laugh as Naruto's face scrunched up in concentration, "You really don't want to think about it, do you?" I ask, seeing him nod his head as he had just placed some eggs in his mouth…

Just then, a knock sounds on the door and Naruto gets up to get it.

"Naruto, Tsunade-sama wants in her office, pronto! And that includes you Sakura," Kakashi says from the door way, his face a mask of seriousness. Standing up and putting my stuff down on the table, I walk up to the door.

"What's the problem Kaka-sensei," I ask, leaning over Naruto's shoulder.

"There's been an attack on an outpost south of here, we think its Sasuke's doing, and you two know him better then anyone else, the rest will be explained when you get there," And with that, Kakashi disappeared. Blinking a few times, I turn my head to stare at Naruto, and I could see the same expression on his face.

"Ano, maybe we shouldn't keep Baa-chan waiting?" He asks in that tone of voice that tells you he's completely out of it.

"Yeah, maybe…" I say, before shaking my head, and standing up straight and taking Naruto's hand in mine before pulling him out the door with a tug. He was already dressed, so we shouldn't waste time, right?

"Wait, you should lock your door," I comment before he shakes his head.

"Naw, I put a few seals on the door a few nights back, no one can enter without their specific DNA code being entered into it. It's really helpful against intruders, ninja or not, it designed it off the original blood seal," He explains, and I'm impressed that he was able to commit such a feat.

"You learned a lot on the two year journey, didn't you?" I ask as we start towards the Hokage Tower, taking to the rooftop with blinding speed.

"Yeah, all thanks to Ero-Sennin (_Perverted Hermit_), he's a perv, but he's a great teacher, sometimes…" He trails off with a disgruntled look on his face. I couldn't help but laugh. As we entered the tower, through the window, we're surprised not to receive an ear full from Tsunade. Jiraiya, Kakashi, Sai, Yamato, and Tsunade are all in the room in a dead silence.

"Uh, what's with the silence, it's making me uncomfortable…" I hear Naruto shout from behind me, and to our surprise once more, Tsunade only responds with a quiet command of sit down. Deciding not to linger in the window, we hurry to a seat.

"I'm sure that you've been told that this has to do with Sasuke. But there's something else. He's taken Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru hostage, as they just so happened to be there for the inspection. Jiraiya's sources say that they're still alive, seeing as that the only reason they'd be taken was hostage was because Orochimaru would need them, or they'd be dead. This is a grave situation. Three of Konoha's best and most loyal ninja are in the hands of the enemy. The assignment is this. You are to discover the whereabouts of the hostages, retrieve them, and make it back to Konoha in one piece. Any forces that get in your way must be dealt with. We don't want them in Orochimaru's hands for too long," She finishes, nodding to Jiraiya. I was a little surprised that Naruto hadn't interrupted yet, but then again, this was Sasuke and Orochimaru.

"The only still operational base around the outpost that was attack is three miles east of the Valley of the End. I'm expecting there'll be scouts all over the place. It's been very busy for the last month and a half, so Orochimaru might have actually been after the three. My spies couldn't tell me much more then that without putting themselves in danger," Jiraiya informs us, and I see Naruto nod.

"The team for this mission will consist of Kakashi, Yamato, Sakura, and Naruto. Sai, you're to go with Jiraiya and check with another contact of his. I suggest you leave immediately," She says, before waving us off. You could tell she was in a bad mood; normally she actually spoke the dismissal. Something else was bothering her. But I barely catch a whisper as we exit through the door. "Don't die…" This got me to furrow my brows. _Was she worried about our health? Kakashi's one of the best ninja in the village, not to mention Naruto's unpredictable right now, he has so many new abilities. He's only been here for a few months, and during that entire time he was holding back! That two and a half year training trip was good for him._

As we went our separate ways to get our things, my mind starts to wonder as I take the usual route to my apartment. _If Sasuke was there, Naruto would be after him in an instant. Wait! Naruto was too calm during that entire thing!_ Turning on my heel, I race for the gates. _Naruto didn't even head to his apartment! He's going to try and do it alone! But we promised to do it together damn it! _Pumping excess chakra in my legs, I get a major boost as almost everything around me starts becoming a blur. Halting at the gate, I see the guard sitting there and joking around. "Did Naruto go outside the village a minute ago?" I ask with urgency.

"Yeah, like three minutes ago." One says, and my eyes widen. Dashing outside the gates, I start after Naruto's chakra signature, which was growing fate. Whoa, Naruto had got a lot faster! Squinting, I take to the trees in pursuit. _No way I'm letting you do it alone Naruto. He's ours, and your mine. _I think with a determination. Speeding up to the human limit, I feel the major strain on my legs and wince. It was similar to using gates going this fast; the strain on my legs would snap them like twigs if I wasn't careful. Focusing chakra into the leg muscles, I start to heal the tearing ligaments. From what I could tell, I was barely making any gain on Naruto. Was he going almost as fast as I was? Even though he's a Jinchuuriki that should hurt! All I could do was continue on, and hope Naruto slowed down.

(Fifteen minutes later)

The constant strain on my chakra was starting to wear my down. I only had three quarters of my full chakra left, and we still hadn't reached the Valley of the End. _Spoke to soon._ I think as I jump onto a river, with two humongous statues of two legendary ninja. I could sense Naruto's chakra at the top of the waterfall. Along with someone else's.

"No, they're already at it…" I whisper with wide-eyes. Growling, I start climbing up the stone wall, trying to get there before they could start. Just as I got up there, I could see them getting ready for their signature moves. The Rasengan (_Spiraling Sphere_) and the Chidori (_One-Thousand Birds_).

"This is it Naruto, I kill you here." Sasuke said in an apathetic voice. It sent a shiver down my spine.

"Wrong, today, I bring you HOME!" He yells the last bit as he charges at Sasuke with a fully developed Fuuton: Rasengan (_Wind Release: Spiraling Sphere_) in hand. I only had a split second to think about as I saw Sasuke start his charge. _Have the chance to lose Naruto or Sasuke, or prevent both? _Easy. Running forward and pumping my legs with chakra, I get right in between them. Just like my dream, and I realized my mistake. _Why wouldn't Naruto do the same thing in the dream as now?_ Naruto, just like I thought, a bit too late, pulled his hand back and crushed the Fuuton: Rasengan, as he grabbed my arm and tugged me behind him, his arms out stretched. Just like the dream, I see Sasuke's hand ram right through Naruto's chest, and I could feel the splash of warm blood on my cheeks. _No… no… no, no, no… _"NO!!!!!!!!"

* * *

**_Review, flame, and whatnot..._**

**_Well, here you go! Hope it's enough to tide you over as I work on my other stories! Hope you don't mind! The curse of an over-active imagination!_**


	3. Hope

_**Understanding a Nightmare, Becoming a Dream**_

_**WOOHOO! Got this out in like 48 hours! THIS IS THE FINAL CHAPTER OF THIS STORY! It's short, but this story was never meant to be more than a One-Shot! However, I did like this story, while it laster for like three years xD! ANYWHO! Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter III**_

"NARUTO!!!" I scream, as his body goes limp in my arms as Sasuke's arm retreats to his side. I see my tears falling before I realize I'm crying. The wound… It was right through his heart. He was dead… I have him, finally, and he's gone the next day… Somewhere deep inside, I could feel magma boiling, rising and pushing the cold aside. It was utter anger, and could easily turn to hate. Setting Naruto down, I stand just in time to see Sasuke charging me with his sword. To our surprise, he's flying to the other side of the river as I punch him in the face with speed rivaling that of Lee's. I shake, my tearful eyes borrowing into Sasuke's body as he rolls when he lands. He picks himself up, snapping his head up and looking at me with Sharingan active and hatred in his eyes.

"You can't be saved…" I mutter to myself as I feel Kakashi and Yamato's presence land next to me. I pull my gloves out of my pouch and slip them on, the only thought in my head, not even that, an image of Sasuke bloody and beaten on the ground. _Yeah, looks like a good idea…_

"So I'll put you down instead!!" I scream, flashing across the river in a blur of red and white. I slam my fist into Sasuke's previous position, looking up to see his shock as the ground where he stood was pulverized, for a lack of a better word. Launching myself at him again, I continue this brutal assault, leaving him no chance to counterattack, each of my strikes timed and coordinated with the next one.

"Sakura! STOP!" I hear Yamato yell as a branch breaks me apart from Sasuke. I shatter it into bark dust as my eyes remain on Sasuke, when I feel even more branches wrap around my appendages, Kakashi and Yamato appearing in front of me and between Sasuke as I struggle against my restraints. To my surprise, Sasuke is caught by similar branches, heaving in breaths, and I realize I'm in a similar state.

"WHY!?" I scream at him, still struggling while he glares at me with his damned cursed eyes. "He thought of you as a brother! He said you said the same! Who could do that to his own brother!? You're not better than ITACHI!!!" I scream and his head rears back a little, as I heave from my screaming, the heat cooling down and the ocean consuming it, as I hang my head, beginning to cry again. I hear snapping as, and my heat shoots up as Orochimaru breaks Sasuke free, Yamato and Kakashi on their guard.

"So you finally succeeded in ending that boy's miserable life, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru asks, and I barely have the energy to glare at him.

"His name was Naruto, bastard…" I call, and Orochimaru gives me a glance, his amused smile turning into a frown.

"But it appears you were interrupted from killing the other one…" Orochimaru is suddenly blending with the tree behind him, and leaves instructions for Sasuke.

"Meet me back at the base, but make sure to lose these pests…" Sasuke disappears suddenly, and Kakashi's after him in a second while Yamato releases me, and I slump to the ground, the fight suddenly drained from me.

"Sakura… I'm…" He starts, but I stand and hold up a hand.

"No-not now… I can cry after I we get back our friends and…" I wipe away my tears with the back of my wrists. I race off in the direction Kakashi did, my face as empty as Sasuke's.

'_Shinobi Saying #25… No matter what situation… A shinobi must keep emotions on the inside… You must make the mission your top priority… And you must possess a heart that never shows tears…'_

"Kakashi…" I call, seeing him looking around the clearing, cursing under his breath.

"I lost him damn it…" I looked away, but I swear I could've seen tears in his eyes. _I'm nott he only one hurting…_

Closing my eyes, I reach out with my sense, trying desperately to find his signature. I tense a little, as I have, before it suddenly disappears.

"I had him; I think he got inside the base…" I say, pointing in the direction he was in. We nod to each other before taking to the trees, separated but within hearing distance, combing the area for anything remotely suspicious. Kakashi calls us over about fifteen minutes later, and we make our over to him to see the doors open, and no guards.

"Keep your guard up, something else is here…" Yamato warns, taking a defensive position as Kakashi heads the group into base. We edge our way carefully, surprised by the lack of guards. _This is eerie… _I create a hand sign and try to release some kind of genjutsu. Nothing happens. We all frown, and continue along the wall, not a thing in sight, or sound we heard. We're like this for about thirty minutes until we finally hear a very light banging sound in the distance. Kakashi gives me the signal to stay as he scouts ahead. I nod my head, my eyes darting around.

_This doesn't seem like a trap but…_ My mind snaps back to its singular goal of the mission as Kakashi motions for us to come. Yamato and I make our way quickly.

"Ino's in the cell over there, but there's no guards again. I'm not sure if this is a trap or not but we should be careful," He whispers when Ino's voice calls out.

"Hey! Is anybody there!? Come and get me out! Where the hell did you guys go!?" She screams, and I roll my eyes.

I push my way past Kakashi as I make my way to her door, and she notices me.

"Finally! Thank you whatever Kami is out there!" she says, still gripping the iron bar as I stop in front of her cell, hands on hip.

"First off, where the hell are the guards?" I question as she skeptically looks at me from the cell door.

"An interrogation!? REALLY!? Just let me out!" She screams.

"Just answer and I'll let you out," I say, as she gives me a dirty glare.

"I don't know. They disappeared about twenty five minutes ago, something just came in and swept them all away. And whatever it was, or whoever, left me in here. Good enough for you?" She asks and I nod and rip the door of hit's hinges as she cringes.

"You've gotta teach me that…" She mutters.

"Where's your teammates?" Yamato asks, eyes still on the alert as I hand Ino one of my kunai pouches.

"Don't know, they separated us as soon as we got into the base. Shikamaru's probably asleep, and Chouji's whining about being hungry, so it shouldn't be hard to find him though," She says, and Kakashi nods.

"Ino, Sakura, you two go and look for Shikamaru, Yamato and I will search for Chouji…" We all agree to our respective duties. "Good, we meet back here once we find them. Move out!" With that we're all off, the two groups going in opposite directions.

Ino and I are silent for a good ten minutes before she sighs. "I really wish Naruto were here, he's Kage Bunshin would be so helpful right now…" I bite my bottom lip and flinch at his name, and my vision blurs slight as we rush down the halls.

"Sakura? Is everything alright?" _Damn it, she noticed._ I glance at her and nod my head. She frowns, and grabs my shoulder, stopping us in our tracks.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Ino demands as she grabs both of my shoulders, staring me in the eyes. _Damn it Ino, not now._ I rip away from her, and continue down the hall, screaming Shikamaru's name, trying to get a response.

"Sakura, what the hell is wrong?" She screams at me as she tries to catch up.

"Not NOW INO! SHIKAMARU!!!" I scream, and I can feel the tears starting to well up in my eyes as Naruto's death replays in my head.

"Now's as a good a time as any!" She screams back, and I pin her to the wall, nearly in tears.

"NARUTO'S DEAD! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW INO!?" I screech, tears falling freely.

"Wha… Sakura, I'm so sorry…" She wraps her arms around me as I lean my head against her shoulder. I couldn't stem the flow of tears as I just let the tears fall, bawling my eyes out.

"Sasuke did it… He killed him…" Ino didn't say anything as she continued to let me vent, even in this odd place.

"He took him from me…" I mumble, and she pats the back of my head.

"You really loved him, huh?" Before I can answer, a shocked voice echoes from inside a nearby cell, surprising Ino and I

"Naruto's dead…" Shikamaru states, eyes wide. I shake off my tears, rubbing them away as I free him as I did Ino.

"Yes… I'm gonna make sure to bring Sasuke back too…" He looks at me oddly, and I start to walk away, before finishing my thought.

"To make sure that bastard gets everything he deserves…"

We make our way back to the meeting area, where Ino tended to Shikamaru as I distanced myself from them, trying not to think about Naruto, and more about how to get Sasuke to Konoha so he can get punished.

"Good, you found Shikamaru, now let's get out of here," Kakashi says when he gets back. We all stand up and the entire group, excluding me, starts to walk the halls in search of exit.

"Sakura…" Yamato voices as I look up, mouth set in a grim line.

"I'll catch you guys later…" With that I'm gone, flying down the hallways, blindly charging and looking for Sasuke. I can hear the group behind me trying to catch, and talk me out of it, but I'm once again pumping chakra into my legs to make me got at speeds that they can't reach. I easily race out of their vision, leaving them to guess my moves as I slow down, conserving chakra for when I have to fight Sasuke.

Left to myself, my thoughts start to drift. _I should kill him, for what he's done to me… I can get away with it, just say that he forced me too..._

I grin, but it vanishes a moment later…

_No, that's not what Naruto would've wanted…_

Shaking the loose thoughts out, I refocus on finding Sasuke.

I punch the wall where Sasuke was at just a moment ago, before dipping low and sweeping behind me to throw Sasuke off balance and to get him away from me. He jumps above my ankle, and I launch myself into the air with my other leg and continue the rotation, catching Sasuke in the ribs from the surprise, and no way to push himself out of the way. He goes flying into the wall and grunts as he spits out some blood.

"Eh, touchy about the Naruto thing?" His taunting smirk tread on my last nerve as I reigned myself in.

"Did you really ever care for us?" I ask, entire hand cracking under the pressure. He stands up, wiping off the blood with the back of his hand and rolling his shoulder blades.

"Maybe once I did. But that was a long time ago. Now you're just obstacles," With that he's charging me, and I'm ducking under his blade as he leans back and kicks me in the chin, sending me backwards. I reach out and grab the ground, landing on my feet and ripping it out and throwing it at him, watching him scramble out of the way. He recovers quickly and charges at me grabbing my wrists and holding me down as I struggle and he hovers over me, that same cocky smirk.

"Why'd you kill him? You didn't get your stupid super Sharingan or whatever, so why?" I spit in his face, and grinds his teeth.

"Because I can't go back, not with weaklings like you, weakness is disease," He explains, right before I kick him off of me, sending him into the ceiling. Rolling back I try to intercept him as he is falling, only for him to grab my wrist and throwing him, throwing my balance off and causing me to crash into the wall. When I regain my balance and vision, Sasuke is already charging me, the screeching of a thousand birds in the air. My eyes widen, realizing that this is the end.

_I'm sorry that I wasn't able to bring him back, Naruto…_ Suddenly, I feel a pair of arms wrap around my waist, and the arms and I jump away, just in time to hear someone yell.

"Rasengan!" I look over my shoulder to see Sasuke get slammed into the wall with a Rasengan in the hands of _Naruto_. All logical thought went out the window as I saw him, the only feeling left from his sigh one of wonder.

_Naruto's alive…_ After the dust cleared from the impact of Sasuke, I get a clear view of Naruto, who's binding Sasuke with all sorts of seals and chains. Although it barely registers, I notice he looks very beaten and cut up. I rip myself from the clone's arms and run to Naruto, tackling him to the ground, and I hear him chuckle as he wraps his arms around my shoulder.

"Sorry Sakura, but I had to make you guys believe I died. It was the only way to could surprise Sasuke. Sasuke once said he could tell the difference between a clone and me, so I made an uber clone, and faked my death. Took care of Orochimaru first, then came here and saved you…"

…

"BASTARD!" I scream, punching him in the jaw, dislocating it in the progress. He rubs his jaw, squinting.

"I expected that…" I hear him mutter, and punch him again in the ribs, causing him to cough.

"Not that…" He mutters as I begin to heal him, looking over my shoulder to see the rest of my team come in, all of their eyes widening at the sight of an unconscious Sasuke and an alive Naruto.

Looking back at Naruto, he's got a small smile on his face.

"Love you…" He says, surprising me a little before I smile back. I hear the others shuffling about, leaving us be as the pick up Sasuke.

"I love you too…" I bend down and give him a chaste kiss on the lips, before backing up.

"I'm glad this nightmare is over…" I mutter, and his grin grows.

"I'm glad this became a reality!"

* * *

_**THE END!!!!!!**_


End file.
